The Security Service of Ukraine detained in Kharkiv city a group of criminals who “sold" positions of civil servants, including the post of governor of Kharkiv region.

Operatives of the special service found that this illegal business was organized by Odesite together with Kyivan. They promised clients to lobby their appointment to senior positions in government and law enforcement agencies. The offenders hold themselves as officials of acting government and referred to close ties with the leaders of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, parliamentary factions and ministers.

In the framework of criminal proceedings, special service officers found that the fraudsters were preparing to receive USD 1 million for allegedly resolving the issue of appointing a candidate for the post of the Head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration. The malefactors planned to receive another USD 100,000 for the appointment to the position of the Head of the Main Department of the State Tax Service of Kharkiv Region. Earlier, law enforcement officers documented the fact that criminals received USD 60,000 from a Kharkiv resident. In this amount, they estimated the "assistance" in obtaining the mandate of the People's Deputy in the by-elections to the Parliament.

SBU operatives detained the criminals in a restaurant in Kharkiv city while receiving a deposit of USD 150 thousand for the appointment of both high-ranking officials: USD 100 thousand for the post of governor and USD 50 thousand - for the head of the tax service. The issue on serving detainees notices of suspicion of committing a crime stipulated by Part 4 Art. 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine is being solved. The operation was conducted by the SBU Office in Kharkiv region jointly with the SBU Main Directorate for Combating Corruption and Organized Crime and the investigators of Shevchenkivskyi district unit of the National Police in Kharkiv region under the procedural supervision of the Kharkiv Local Prosecutor’s Office.